The present iPad vary is without doubt one of the most populated we’ve seen.
It consists of two iterations of the usual iPad, the iPad mini, the iPad Air, and the 11- and 12.9-inch iPad Professional fashions, so there’s a lot to select from. It appears Apple isn’t stopping there, although: rumours counsel it may very well be including a fair bigger iPad Professional to the line-up.
Right here’s all the things we all know concerning the next-generation iPad Professional, together with a possible new 14-inch mannequin.
When will the brand new iPad Professional be launched?
Apple didn’t launch a brand new iPad Professional in 2023, or any tablets in any respect for that matter. Nonetheless, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman doesn’t suppose we’ll have to attend for much longer.
Initially, he mentioned that Apple will launch new iPad Professional and iPad Air fashions earlier than the top of March 2024. Nonetheless, in line with insiders, Gurman now claims that Apple’s suppliers overseas have elevated manufacturing of the brand new iPad Professional, aiming for a launch in early Could.
He says that Apple certainly deliberate to launch the brand new iPads by the top of March or early April. Nonetheless, delays have arisen as a result of firm’s efforts to finalise software program for the units and implement complicated new manufacturing methods required for the newest screens.
Because of this, the product launch is now anticipated to occur at Apple’s spring occasion, roughly a month earlier than the WWDC developer convention, which is confirmed to start on 10 June.
For context, right here’s when the previous iPad Professional fashions have launched. Apple doesn’t preserve a constant schedule, however doesn’t are inclined to go over 18 months between generations:
iPad Professional 11-inch and 12.9-inch (sixth gen): Oct 2022
iPad Professional 11-inch and 12.9-inch (fifth gen): Apr 2021
iPad Professional 11-inch and 12.9-inch (4th gen): Mar 2020
iPad Professional 11-inch and 12.9-inch (third gen): Oct 2018
iPad Professional 10.5-inch and 12.9-inch (2nd gen): June 2017
iPad Professional 9.7-inch (1st gen): Mar 2016
iPad Professional 12.9-inch (1st gen): Nov 2015
How a lot will the brand new iPad Professional price?
In the intervening time, these are the beginning costs for every mannequin within the newest iPad Professional vary from 2022.
iPad Professional 11-inch Wi-Fi (2022): $799/£899
iPad Professional 11-inch Mobile (2022): $999/£1,079
iPad Professional 12.9-inch Wi-Fi (2022): $1,099/£1,249
iPad Professional 12.9-inch Mobile (2022): $1,299/£1,429
If Apple introduces the rumoured 14-inch iPad Professional, we’re prone to see value rises on the high quality.
Apple tends to maneuver up by items of 100, and there are 300 between the bottom 11- and 12.9-inch fashions. So it appears cheap to take a position that the 14-inch iPad Professional will begin at $1,399/£1,529 or thereabouts.
What specs and options will the brand new iPad Professional have?
As you would possibly count on, there have been extra leaks and rumours concerning the Professional than another upcoming iPad mannequin.
Design
In response to code present in iOS 17.4 by MacRumors contributor Steve Moser, the upcoming iPad Professional is prone to function a panorama Face ID digicam. The code specifies that in Face ID setup, the iPad must be in panorama mode with the digicam on the prime of the display.
Within the Tenth-generation iPad, Apple moved the front-facing digicam to the facet of the machine to allow its use in panorama mode. Plainly Apple is constant this development with future iPads.
At the moment, the iPad Professional is the one mannequin with Face ID, so the code means that Apple could also be relocating the front-facing digicam from the highest to the facet of the machine. Nonetheless, there’s a chance that Apple might additionally introduce Face ID to the iPad Air, through which case this transformation would apply to that machine as effectively.
It’s unclear how Apple has managed the transition to a panorama Face ID digicam on the brand new iPad fashions, on condition that the second-generation Apple Pencil connects to each the iPad Air and iPad Professional through an inductive magnetic charger on the identical facet.
Nonetheless, there are rumors suggesting that Apple would possibly introduce a brand new Apple Pencil alongside the up to date iPads, probably providing an answer to this problem.
Show
A brand new report by The Elec claims that OLED shows for Apple’s next-generation iPad Professional fashions have entered manufacturing.
OLED shows mark a primary for the iPad lineup, with Apple beforehand utilizing OLED know-how within the iPhone and Apple Watch. OLED affords deeper blacks and extra vibrant colors in comparison with LED or mini-LED, albeit at a better price.
iPad Professional fashions from 2017 onwards help ProMotion, providing a variable refresh price between 24Hz and 120Hz. With OLED and LTPO show know-how, this price might drop even decrease, probably reaching 10Hz or much less to avoid wasting battery. For comparability, iPhone 14 Professional and iPhone 15 Professional fashions can go all the way down to 1Hz in always-on show mode.
In the meantime, there have additionally been a slew of rumours concerning the 14-inch iPad Professional which will or might not seem alongside the 2 normal fashions this 12 months.
Show analyst Ross Younger initially prompt, in June 2022, that the 14-inch iPad Professional will function a mini-LED show, identical to the present 12.9-inch iPad Professional. However in a tweet later that month, he posted that the bigger iPad would as a substitute have a regular LED panel, as on the 11-inch iPad Professional, citing price as a attainable purpose.
Then, in December 2022, Younger prompt that Apple is planning to maneuver your complete iPad line to OLED (through Macworld) by 2024. This matches what Gurman wrote (in January 2023). He predicted that coming to the iPad within the spring of 2024 (through Macworld) is “an up to date design and OLED screens”.
Apple can also be mentioned to be working by itself micro-LED shows (through Macworld) that might ultimately make their means into a brand new bigger iPad. Gurman additionally wrote in January that Apple would begin transitioning its entire lineup to micro-LED shows, beginning with the Apple Watch.
One other leaker named Majin Bu has additionally posted {that a} new 14.1-inch iPad Professional is in improvement. Show analyst Ross Younger additionally claimed in 2022 {that a} 14.1-inch iPad Professional mannequin was in improvement, and that “early 2023” was a possible launch schedule.
In December 2022 Younger was reported to have modified this prediction, suggesting that “Apple is now not planning to launch a 14.1-inch iPad Professional with a mini-LED show in early 2023”, through MacRumors . Younger went on to assert that Apple is now not planning to launch the brand new 14.1-inch type issue, so it could by no means launch.
With the discharge of Logic Professional and Last Reduce Professional on the iPad, it makes a number of sense for Apple to supply an iPad with a bigger display and exterior show help.
Efficiency
Earlier than they deleted their account, X leaker Analyst941 reported (through Macworld) that Apple was planning on releasing the brand new iPad Professional with exterior help for as much as two 6K screens working at 60Hz, the potential inclusion of an M3 Professional chipset, plus a “particular model of iPadOS 17” that was being developed for the bigger iPad Professional fashions.
A tweet from June 2022 by Majin Bu prompt that the 14-inch iPad Professional would comprise an M2 processor, 16GB of RAM and 512GB of base storage, we’d solely count on to see the M2 used within the 14-inch iPad Professional if it launches individually to the remainder of the vary.
The present iPad Execs are powered by the M2 chip, so it is sensible for an M3 to seem in any new 2024 fashions. However as a result of iPad’s skinny, finless design, it appears extra smart for the standard M3 to be on the coronary heart of the brand new iPad Execs slightly than the M3 Professional.
Apple presently affords iPad Professional configurations starting from 128GB to 2TB, alongside varied color choices and display sizes. Contemplating this intensive array of configurations, there’s hypothesis that the corporate would possibly start with 512GB because the entry-level possibility. Nonetheless, it’s extra possible that Apple will eradicate the 128GB mannequin from the lineup.
Battery & charging
The 2024 iPad Professional might function MagSafe charging, as prompt by insider data from MacRumors. This follows earlier rumours about Apple’s exploration of wi-fi charging for the iPad, together with testing MagSafe capabilities.
Moreover, since new iPad Professional fashions are anticipated to obtain design updates alongside the introduction of OLED shows, a glass again might enhance vulnerability to wreck. Nonetheless, it additionally might allow compatibility with new wire-free equipment.
Moreover, the iPad might help 15W magnetic Qi2 chargers, offering customers with extra charging choices.
Equipment
Along with the iPad Professional, stories counsel that the Apple Magic Keyboard may even endure an replace. Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman states that Apple intends to revamp the accent to offer “the iPad Professional a extra laptop-like look” whereas incorporating a “bigger trackpad.”
Though Gurman didn’t elaborate additional, the inclusion of a bigger trackpad within the iPad Professional would undoubtedly be a welcome change.
As you possibly can see, there are many rumours and hypothesis concerning the next-generation iPad Professional. We’ll replace this text as soon as extra is revealed. Within the meantime, see our guides to the finest iPads and finest tablets.
